Mail-chute.



A. K. SMITH.

MAIL CHUTE.

APPLIOATLON rmm JAN. 2, 1909.

mento? z Patented Oct. 18, 1.910.

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. l l L r 1 l l l l 1 l l l I u l l l x l x l I 1 n x l l l l l l l l l l I l l Egli-m ARTHUR K. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT B. GALT ANI) ALFRED O. WOERNER, TRUSTEES, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MAIL-CHUTE.

To all whom. 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR K. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail- Chutes, of which the following is a. full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a mail chtite showing my improved apertura-P closure; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the aperture closure in its open position; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing such aperture closure closed.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement for aperture closure in mail chutes, the object being to construct said aperture closure so that it can be opened and closed by an authorized person without requiring access to the chute proper.

With this object in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of my device, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a form of mail chute such as is embodied in application filed by me Feb. 9, 1909, Serial No. 476,883, but as the construction of this chute forms no part of my present invention, I make no claims for the same here.

The mail-receiving aperture 21 is in a shelf-like extension 22 which is secured in position between the side walls of the chute. Under the opening 21 is a wall 23 acting as a guide to direct the mail into the chute.

24 is a closure in the form of a plate having two lugs 25 operating in a guide way, whereby when the mail-receiving aperture is open as shown in Fig. 2, the plate 24 lies outside of the wall 23 as shown. A, door 23'* is provided with a lock 26 whose bolt 27 cooperates with a keeper in the form of a pin 28 on the shelf-like extension in which the mail-receiving aperture is formed. When the plate 24 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the door 252L is closed and locked, it is obvious that the plate 24V cannot in any way interfere with the introduc- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 2, 1909.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

serial No. 470,391.

tion of mail through the opening 21. If, however, it is desired to close the aperture 21, an authorized person having the key to door 25ZL opens said door, lifts the plate to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and slides said plate inwardly until the lateral extensions 29 on the lower (or outer) edge of the plate enter the guide way, at which time the plate will be supported at its four corners and will close the aperture 21. The door 25a can now be closed and locked, as shown in Fig. 3, and it will be impossible for any one to introduce mail matter through the aperture 21. The key utilized for locking and unlocking the lock 2G is in the possession of an employee of the lost-Otlice Department.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nat-ure and principle of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mail chtite, walls on said chute forming a chamber located entirely outside said chute, a closure for the mail-receiving aperture, said closure being arranged in the chamber, and means whereby access may be had to said chamber, said means holding said closure in its open or closed position.

2. The combination with a mail chute of a shelf on said chute in which shelf is formed a mail-receiving aperture, a fixed wall beneath the shelf for directing the mail matter deposited through the aperture into the chute and a plate pivotally suspended beneath the shelf and adapted to slide bodily into position to close the mail-receiving aperture.

3. The combination with a. mail chute, of a plate on said chute, which plate is provided With a mail-receiving aperture, a closure arranged to slide and swing beneath said pla-te for closing the Inail-receiving aperture, and means whereby the closure is locked in either one of its positions.

4. The combination with a mail Chute of a shelf having a mail-receiving aperture a pivotally suspended sliding plate forming a closure for the mail-receiving aperture, means whereby said plate occupies a vertical position when the aperture is open and a horizontal position when the aperture is aperture, a wall beneath the shelf for directing the mail matter deposited through the aperture into the chute, and a closure normally occupying a position outside the wall and adapted to be moved into position between the top of the wall and the aperture for closing,` the latter.

6. The combination with a mail chute provided with a shelf having a mail-receiving aperture, a wall beneath the shelf for directing the mail matter deposited through the aperture into the chute, a closure normally occupying a position outside the wall and adapted to be moved into position between the top of the wall and the aperture for closing the latter, and means whereby said closure is locked in either one of its positions.

7 The combination with a mail chute provided wit-h a shelf having a mail-receiving' aperture of a closure for said aperture in the form of a sliding plate adapted to be pivotally suspended to one side of the aperture, and guide-ways formed beneath the ends of the shelf, which Lguide-ways receive the ends of the pivotally suspended sliding plate.

S. The combination with a mail chute, of a shelf having a mail receiving aperture, guide-ways beneath the ends of said shelf, a closure for said aperture, which closure comprises a plate adapted to be pivotally suspended from said guide-Ways beneath the shelf, which plate is loosely slid into position beneath the aperture to close the same, and means adapted to engage the shelf and lock the closure after movement.

9. The combination with a mail chute of a shelf having a mail receiving` aperture, guide ways beneath the ends of the shelf, a plate havingl lateral project-ions on its ends which engage in the guide ways and permit said plate to slide beneath the shelf and to occupy a suspended position to one side of the aperture, a wall beneath the shelf for guiding the mail .matter inserted through the mail receiving aperture into the chute and a plate detachably applied to the shelf for holding the sliding` plate in both its open and closed posit-ions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix'my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this twenty eighth day of December 1908.

ARTHUR K. SMITH.

lVitnesses F. R, CORNWALL, Grenen BAKEWELL. 

